Your Heart and Hamstrings Will Thank You for This 20-Minute HIIT Workout

In this most recent episode of Good Moves with Pilates and fitness instructor, Traci Copeland takes viewers through a full-body High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout that offers you a heart rate raise, thorough stretching, dynamic warm-ups, and a good sweat—all in 20 minutes.

A HIIT workout is a type of exercise that, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, involves periods of high-intensity bursts of activity followed by moments of rest and recovery. The intention is to raise your heart rate to nearly its (safest) highest capacity and then allow it a chance to lower, and then repeat the process. This benefits your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems because it challenges your body while also offering time to rest.

In this workout, Copeland gets you warmed up and eases you into the more challenging parts of the workout. You start some dynamic stretches like walking from a downward dog stretch to a plank position right off the bat. This gets your heart rate up slowly and stretches your hamstrings. You’ll need some loose hamstrings for the lunges, planks, and single-leg deadlifts you’ll be doing later.

The great part about this workout is that Copeland is with you every step of the way. Sometimes getting your sweat on can feel intimidating, but this total-body HIIT workout will stretch you, challenge you, and cool you off in less time than a half-hour episode of your favorite show. Copeland adds tips on how to perfect your form, modifies moves to make them easier or harder, all the while encouraging you to move in ways that feel good to you.

Ready for a heart rate raising and mood-boosting HITT workout? Tune in to this recent episode, grab a mat, and let Copeland lead the way.

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